Rib knitted fabric having controllable longitudinal stretch



Aug. 24, 1937'. c. E. DRUMHELLER 2,090,910

RIB KNITTED FABRIC HAVING CONTROLLABLE LONGI'IUDINAL STRETCH Filed Feb.17, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet .1

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RIB KNITTED FABRIC HAVING CONTROLLA'BLE-LONGITUDINALI STRETCH Filed Feb.17, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenior: flhaz iesEllz'umfiefierz Aug. 24,1937. Q E DRUMHELLER 2,090,910

RIB KNITTED FABRIC'HAVING CONTROLLABLE LQNGITUDINAL STRETCH Filed Feb.17, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet s daw- ' 7- (3. E. DRUMHELLER 2,090,910-

. RIB KN I TTED FABRIC HAVING CONTROLLABLE LONGITUDINAL STRETCH Fi ledFeb. 17,1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 t ;9- cy z l wz. q z ami @(Z q g. qyzagzmzlnvenio 2 Qaries Eflk'umfie Z1497;-

Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RIB KNITTED FABRICHAVING CONTROL- LABLE LONGITUDINAL STRETCH Application February 11,1936, Serial No. 64,212

8 Claims.

This invention relates to highly expansible, rib knitted fabrics havinga controllable longitudinal stretch.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood,I have in the accompanying drawings disclosed one embodiment only of thesaid fabric, and have indicated more or less diagrammatically the bestmode known to me for producing the said fabric.

In said drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a view, somewhat diagrammatic and in part perspective, of theaction occurring at.

the first feed of the knitting machine, which preferably has four feedsor a multiple thereof;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are similar views of the actions occurring at thesecond, third and fourth feeds of the machine respectively;

Fig. 5 is a very much enlarged view of a small portion of the front oroutside of the fabric;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of-the back or inside of the fabric;

Figs. '7 and 8 are merely diagrammatic representations showingrespectively the said front or outside of the fabric and said back orinside of the fabric.

The fabric herein disclosed and claimed may I be knitted upon anysuitable knitting machine, whether straight or circular, but desirablyis knitted upon a circular machine provided with a dial, the saidmachine having desirably four feeds, or, if a greater number of feeds beemployed, preferably some multiple of four feeds.

The invention, however, is not limited to the employment of anyparticular number of feeds. 35 I may, if desired, knit the fabric upon asocalled Wildman circular knitting machine of the ribber type employingindependent latch needles. If, as herein indicated, I employ four feeds,I introduce at the first feed to one set of 40 needles only (andpreferably to the dial needles) some suitable rubber-like strand, whichmay be and desirably is the so-called Lastex, consisting of a core ofunvulcanized material such, for example, as rubber juice suitablycoagulated in 45 water and then wrapped with a very fine covering ofsilk or other suitable material. The composite strand is desirably ofvery -fine diameter. Coarser diameters of the composite strand may,however, be employed, this depending largely on the cut or gauge of themachine. I may, however, use out rubber or any other type or characterof elastic strand.

At the second feed, the knitting yarn or yarns is or are taken only byone set of needles, being 55 desirably the cylinder needles, since therubberlike strand was taken by the dial needles. Desirably at said feed,I introduce two knitting yarns in plating relation.

At the third feed, I desirably knit on both the cylinder and the dialneedles, there introducing 5 one knitting yarn or if desired two endswhich are knitted in as a single yarn; they are not knitted in a platingrelation.

At the fourth feed, I also knit in a single yarn or if desired two endswhich are knitted as a 10 single yarn but without plating. Said yarnsare knitted upon both the cylinder and dial needles at said feed.

Having thus briefly set forth the nature of the fabric, I will nowdescribe the same in detail.

. The fabric of my invention is one which not only is highly expansibletransversely of the needle wales, but is one also having a verypronounced but entirely controllable stretch length- 20 wise the needlewales. I attribute the two-way stretch of the fabric very largely to themanner -in which the rubber-like strand is, introduced to one set ofneedlespreferably the dial needles. The fabric has incorporated thereina rubber- 25 like strand in such manner as very greatly to enhance theexpansibility ofthe fabric. Said I rubber-like strand may be of anysuitable character, whether it be provided with a rubber-like core withsome suitable wrapping, or whether it be a cut rubber strand or someother form or, type of rubber-like strand, said latter term beingbroadly and comprehensively employed.

, The rubber-like strand is, as it were, embryonically or temporarily orpreliminarily knitted into the fabric by one set of needles (preferablythe dial needles), from which, however, and as hereinafter explained,said strand is discharged or cast 011, during the knitting of thefabric, and due to the fact that said strand is of a rubberlikecharacter and is under tension, said strand when so cast off ordischarged from the dial needles, assumes a straight unknittedcondition, as if it had been incorporated without knitting.

In the completed fabric said rubber-like strand has no knitted loops.Said strand is incorporated into the fabric at all times under tension,which tension is variable or controlled in such a way as to permit andto result in the shaping or tapering of the fabric. Thus, if the fabricis knitted in tubular form, the same may be of uniform diameterthroughout or may be gradually tapering in one directionor .the other orit may be of a varied shape. Such tension upon or control of therubber-like strand may be provided by any suitable means, as, forexample, that disclosed in or referred to in my copending applications,bSer. Nos. 707,260 and 707,261 now patents,

and one rib (that is, two cylinder needles, then a dial needle, then twocylinder needles, another dial needle, etc.), I prefer to tuck on everyother cylinder needle, and in a succeeding course I may tuck on everyother dial needle only, but not on cylinder needles. Assuming that therubber-like strand is laid on, and a temporary or embryonic loop or kinkis made therein by, the dial needles only, at the first feed asillustrated in Fig. 1, and that no non-rubber thread or yarn is knittedin (introduced) at the first feed, I introduce and knit a non-rubberyarn at the second feed, introducing said yarn to the cylinder needlesonly and desirably in such a way as to tuck on every other cylinderneedle in such course, namely, the course next after that in which therubber-like thread is laid in. In the next following course, the tuckingoccurs desirably on every other dial needle only, but not upon thecylinder needles. Knitting, however, occurs on both cylinder and dialneedles in this course.

At the fourth course, I preferably tuck on alternate dial needles,namely, on the short-butt dial needles. I

My invention, however, is not limited to the employment of a stitchvariation nor to any particular type of stitch variation excepting asset forth in the claims. Although I do employ a stitch variation, therubber-like strand is incorporated into the fabric in an essentiallystraight, as contrasted with a wavy or kinky, condition.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

I have in Fig. 1 indicated at i certain of the needles of the cylinderof a circular knitting machine and at 2 certain of the dial needlesthereof. As there shown, there are twice as many cylinder needles asdial needles, the dial needles being interposed after every two cylinderneedles. As shown, the needles are of the latch needle type, but springbeard needles may be employed instead. The rubber-like strand of anysuitable character is indicated at 3, the same being introduced througha suitable guide 4. The said rubber-like strand is suitably and, ifdesired, variably tensioned by a tensioning mechanism diagrammaticallyindicated at 5, and which may be of the same character as that shown inmy said two applications, now patents.

As clearly shown in said Fig. 1, the knitting yarn from the fourth feedis still upon the needles. The rubber-like strand is at said first feedfed to all the dial needles, and merely temporary or embryonic kinks orloops are formed therein, as illustrated in Fig. 2, at all the dialneedles, and as illustrated in Fig. 3 at all the dial needles. All thecylinder needles are down at the said first feed, and hence do notreceive the rubber-like strand.

In Fig. 2, the rubber-like strand 3 is represented as still carried bythe dial needles, it having been introduced thereto at the first feed.The knitting yarn is at the second feed taken only by the cylinderneedles, being taken by all the cylinder needles, but not by any of thedial needles. At the said second feed, I preferably, by a suitablefeeding device or means indicated diagrammatically at 6, introduce twoknitting yarns in a plating relation, the same being shown at 1 and 8.These two plating yarns may be of any suitable character or nature, as,for example, silk and rayon. silk and mercerized cotton, etc.

At the third feed, as shown at Fig. 3, the knit ting yam, here shown astwo ends 9, i0, is introduced to both the cylinder needles and the dialneedles, but not in a plating relation. It should be stated that thecylinder needles have respectively long and short butts, but the dialneedles are alternately low-butt regular latch and highbutt long latch.

At the said third feed, the rubber-like strand is cast off as at H onthe short or regular latch needles only; this being done, as shown at Hin Fig. 3, without creating a permanent knitted loop therein, thetemporary or embryonic loop being straightened out by the elastic natureof the yarn; that is to say, I tuck on alternate dial needles, by reasonof the employment of differentiated alternating dial needles.

At the fourth feed, as indicated in Fig. 4, the yarn of preferably twoends l2, l3, introduced as a single yarn and without plating relation,is fed to both the cylinder and the dial needles, and in so doing I tuckon alternate dial needles, whereasat the third feed the tucking needlesare the long latch dial needles. At the fourth feed the tucking needles,if tucking is resorted to, are the short-butt dial needles, and, asshown "in Fig. 4, the temporary or embryonic loops are cast off ordischarged without creating permanently knitted loops therein, theremaining temporary or embryonic loops being in their turn cast off ordischarged without creating any permanent knitted loops in said elasticor rubberlike yarn, so that said elastic or rubber-like yarn lies in thecompleted fabric without any knitted loops therein.

For the sake of cleamess, the knitting yarns l and 8 are not shown inFig. 3, nor are the knitting yarns 9 and I0 shown in Fig. 4.

The tucking or other form of stitch variation may be used, otherwisethan in the precise courses indicated and at the precise intervalscircumferentially of the fabric that are herein indicated. Furthermore,in knitting a. fabric that is intended to be used as a garment in itsseamless tubular condition, as, for example, a. foundation garment ofwomans apparel, I desirably knit an end or border portion, as, forexample, what would be the upper end of the garment. If the fabric ismade as a continuous length (to be transversely severed into garmentportions), as is my preferred way of knitting the same, the fabric wouldbe composed of a series of sections or areas constituting the mainportions of the garments, and alternating with other areas constitutingthe top or border portions of said garments. In such border or upperportion of the fabric I desirably omit the tuck stitches or stitchvariations in each fourth course. In the knitting operation, in goingfrom the stitches of the body portion to the stitches of the border, allthe dial needles at each third feed are in the tucking position, thecylinder needles remaining the same as for the body stitch and makingplain knitting. At each fourth feed of such border portion, all the dialneedles are drawn out for plain knitting, the cylinder needles alsoremaining the same as for the body stitch on said fourth feed, also forplain knitting.

The fabric is somewhat diagrammatically indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, Fig.5 representing the front or outside of the fabric, and Fig. 6 the backor inside thereof. I have above said figures indicated the cylinder andthe dial needle wales 5 by the notation Cyl and Dial. I have in both ofsaid figures indicated four courses several times repeated, namely,course No. l at which the rubber-like strand is introduced and which inrubber-like strand is incorporated into the fabric I lie wholly at oneside of the said rubber-like strand; and it will be observed in Fig. 6that said non-rubber threads at the dial needle wales lie at both sidesof said rubber-like strand. That is, viewing the front of the fabric,the knitted or 5 non-rubber threads at the cylinder needle wales lie infront of the rubber-like strand and at the dial needle wales lie both atthe front and back thereof. Thus, the courses of rubber strand areincorporated into the substance of the fabric and 30 are wholly coveredat both faces of the fabric by the knitting yarns.

I have stated that during the introduction of the rubber-like strand thetension thereof is controlled or varied so that the resulting fabric 35may either be of a uniform diameter (if knitted as a tubular fabric,although it may be a flat fabric), or the fabric may be shaped. If it isdesired to provide a contracted portion or a, portion of less diameterin the tubular fabric, the

40 tension upon the rubber-like strand is increased.

- Instead, however, of shaping the'fabric, I may either with or withouta shaping operation, control the longitudinal expansibility of thefabric by controlling or varying the tension upon the 45 rubber-likestrand as the same is introduced.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the article of myinvention and the best mode known to me for making the same, it is to beunderstood that although specific terms 50 are employed, they are usedsin a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation,the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim: 55 1. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and arubber-like strand "without knitted loops and being more flexible indirections transverse to the wales than a. knitted fabric devoid ofrubber-like strands, a substantial proportion of 60 the needle wales ofthe fabric having stitch variations occurring persistently thereinthroughout the fabric, the needle wales having normal loops between suchstitch variations as occur in the respective wales; said fabric havingone or 5 more of said rubber-like strands positioned course-wise thereofand entirely incorporated in an unkinked condition without knitted loopsinto.

the substance of the fabric so that at no wale does the said rubber-likestrand protrude from 70 the face of the fabric, but at each wale extendstransversely straight across said wale; the said hon-rubber knittedthreads at the plain needle wales where the rubber-like strands are soincorporated into the fabric, lying wholly at one 75 side of saidrubber-like strands, and at the rib needle wales lying at both sides ofsaid rubber-' like strands.

2. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and a rubber-likestrand without knitted loops and being more flexible in directionstransverse to the wales than a knitted fabric devoid of rubber-likestrands, a substantial proportion of the plain needle wales of thefabric having stitch variations occurring persistently therein throughthe fabric, the needle wales having normal loops between such stitchvariations as occur in the respective wales; said fabric having one ormore of said rubber-like strands positioned course-wise thereof andentirely incorporated in an unkinked condition without knitted loopsinto the substance of the fabric so that at no wale does the saidrubber-like strand protrude from the face of the fabric, but at eachwale extends transversely straight across said wale; the

said. non-rubber knitted threads atthe plain needle wales where therubber-like strands are so incorporated into the fabric, lying wholly atout the fabric; the needle wales having normal 'loops between suchstitch variations as occur in the respectivewales'; said fabric havingone or more of said rubber-like strands positioned course-wise thereofand entirely incorporated in an unkinked condition without knitted loopsinto the substance-of the fabric so that at no wale does the saidrubber-like strand protrude from the face of the fabric, but at eachwale extends transversely. straight across said wale; the saidnon-rubber knitted threads at the plain needle wales where therubber-like strands are so incorporated into the fabric, lying wholly atone side of said rubber-like strands, and at the rib needle wales lyingat both sides of said rubber-' like strands. k

4. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and a rubber-likestrand without knitted loops and being more flexible in directionstransverse to the wales than a knitted fabric devoid of rubber-likestrands, a substantial proportion of both the plain needle wales and therib needle wales of the fabric having stitch variations occurringpersistently therein throughout the fabric, the needle wales havingnormal loops between such stitch variations as occur in the respectivewales; said fabric having one or more of said rubber-like strandspositioned course-wise thereof and entirely incorporated in an unkinkedcondition without knitted loops into the substance of the fabric so thatatno wale does the said rubber-like strand protrude from the face of thefabric, but at each wale extends transversely straight cross said wale;the said non-rubber knitted threads at the plain needle wales where therubber-like strands are so incorporated into the fabric, lying wholly atone side of said rubber-like strands, and at the rib needle wales lyingat both sides of said rubber-like strands.

5. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and a rubber-likestrand without knitted loops and being more flexible in directionstransverse to the wales than a knitted fabric devoid of rubber-likestrands, substantially every alternate plain needle wale of the fabrichaving stitch variations occurring persistently therein throughout thefabric, the needle wales having normal loops between such stitchvariations as occur in the respective wales; said. fabric having one ormore of said rubber-like strands positioned course-wise thereof andentirely incorporated in an unkinked condition without knitted loopsinto the substance of the fabric so that at no wale does the saidrubber-like strand protrude from the face of the fabric, but at eachwale extends transversely straight across said wale; the said non-rubberknitted threads at the plain needle wales where the rubber-like strandsare so incorporated into the fabric, lying wholly at one side of saidrubber-like strands, and at the rib needle wales lying at both sides ofsaid rubber.- like strands.

6. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and a rubber-likestrand without knitted loops and being more flexible in directionstransverse to the Wales than a knitted fabric devoid of rubber-likestrands, substantially every alternate rib-needle wale of the fabrichaving stitch variations occurring persistently therein through thefabric, the needle wales having normal loops between such stitchvariations as occur in the respective wales; said fabric having one ormore of said rubber-like strands positioned coursewise thereof andentirely incorporated in an unkinked condition without knittedloops intothe substance of the fabric so that at no wale does the said rubber-likestrand protrude from the face of the fabric, but at each wale extendstransversely straight across said wale; the said nonrubber knittedthreads at the plain needle wales whereby the rubber-like strands are soincorporated into the fabric, lying wholly at one side 40 of saidrubber-like strands, and at the rib needle wales lying at both sides ofsaid rubber-like strands.

I. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and a rubber-likestrand without knitted loops and being more flexible in directionstransverse to, the wales than a knitted fabric devoid of rubber-likestrands, certain of said non-rubber knitted threads being threadsknitted into the fabric in a plating relation, the needle wales havingnormal loops between such stitch variations as occur in the respectivewales; said fabric having one or more of said rubber-like strandspositioned .course-wise thereof and entirely incort the rib needle waleslying at both sides of said rubber-like strands.

8. A rib knit fabric having non-rubber knitted threads and a rubber-likestrand without knitted loops and being more flexible in directionstransverse to the wales than a knitted fabric devoid of rubber-likestrands, certain of said non-rubber knitted threads being threadsknitted into the fabric in a plating relation, a substantial proportionof the needle wales of the fabric having stitch variations occurringpersistently therein throughout the fabric, the needle wales havingnormal loops between such stitch variations as occur in the respectivewales; said fabric having one or more of said rubber-like strandspositioned course-wise thereof and entirely incorporated in an unkinkedcondition without knitted loops into the substance of the fabric so thatat no wale does the said rubber-like strand protrude from the face ofthe fabric, but at each wale extends transversely straight across saidwale; the said non-rubber knitted threads at the plain needle waleswhere the rubber-like strands are so incorporated into the fabric, lyingwholly at one side of said rubber-like strands, and at the rib needlewales lying at both sides of said rubberlike strands.

CHARLES E. DRUMHELLER.

